1 00:00:00,200 –> 00:00:04,760 Well, please open your Bible at Isaiah and chapter 38. 2 00:00:04,760 –> 00:00:08,560 We’re looking again at this remarkable story 3 00:00:08,560 –> 00:00:11,980 of a Godly king by the name of Hezekiah 4 00:00:11,980 –> 00:00:14,880 who faced an unexpected crisis. 5 00:00:14,880 –> 00:00:18,160 Verse one, Hezekiah became sick 6 00:00:18,160 –> 00:00:21,440 and was at the point of death. 7 00:00:21,440 –> 00:00:24,680 And we saw that the very first response 8 00:00:24,680 –> 00:00:28,559 of this Godly king when he faced the unexpected crisis 9 00:00:28,559 –> 00:00:33,500 was to pray, verse two Hezekiah turned his face to the wall 10 00:00:33,500 –> 00:00:36,959 and he prayed to the Lord. 11 00:00:36,959 –> 00:00:41,480 Now this story has a very wonderful and happy ending. 12 00:00:41,480 –> 00:00:46,480 God heard Hezekiah’s prayer and wonderfully healed him. 13 00:00:47,080 –> 00:00:50,619 And from this, we learned a very important principle 14 00:00:50,619 –> 00:00:52,980 that speaks to us today. 15 00:00:52,980 –> 00:00:57,020 God is sovereign in all things, 16 00:00:57,080 –> 00:01:02,080 but His sovereignty includes the prayers of His people. 17 00:01:03,380 –> 00:01:05,440 Then last week, we looked at 18 00:01:05,440 –> 00:01:09,940 how God answered Hezekiah’s prayer. 19 00:01:09,940 –> 00:01:12,739 Isaiah the prophet said verse 21, 20 00:01:12,739 –> 00:01:17,699 take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil. 21 00:01:17,699 –> 00:01:22,699 And we saw from that that God normally uses means 22 00:01:23,440 –> 00:01:28,300 though there are some things that only God Himself can do. 23 00:01:28,300 –> 00:01:31,379 Only God can forgive sins. 24 00:01:31,379 –> 00:01:33,559 Only God can change the heart. 25 00:01:33,559 –> 00:01:36,980 Only God can raise the dead. 26 00:01:36,980 –> 00:01:41,239 Jesus was crucified and dead and buried, 27 00:01:41,239 –> 00:01:45,580 but on the third day, God raised Him from the dead 28 00:01:45,580 –> 00:01:50,580 and because He lives, we will live also. 29 00:01:50,919 –> 00:01:55,919 There are some things that only God can do 30 00:01:56,839 –> 00:02:01,059 but normally He uses means. 31 00:02:01,059 –> 00:02:03,300 Now that’s a really important principle 32 00:02:03,300 –> 00:02:06,639 and last time we applied it to this crisis 33 00:02:06,639 –> 00:02:09,380 that we are facing today. 34 00:02:09,380 –> 00:02:12,860 A new virus is sweeping across the world, 35 00:02:12,860 –> 00:02:14,380 what should we do? 36 00:02:14,380 –> 00:02:17,360 Well first answer, we should pray, 37 00:02:17,779 –> 00:02:20,759 but we should also use with that 38 00:02:20,759 –> 00:02:23,960 whatever means are available 39 00:02:23,960 –> 00:02:27,839 to restrain the rapid progress of this virus. 40 00:02:27,839 –> 00:02:30,080 God works through means 41 00:02:30,080 –> 00:02:32,720 and so we should wash our hands, 42 00:02:32,720 –> 00:02:34,179 we should stay at home, 43 00:02:34,179 –> 00:02:37,479 we should practice social distancing 44 00:02:37,479 –> 00:02:39,119 and as we do these things, 45 00:02:39,119 –> 00:02:42,600 we should pray that God would use these things 46 00:02:42,600 –> 00:02:45,820 as means by which in His kindness 47 00:02:45,820 –> 00:02:50,820 He would slow and restrain the progress of this virus. 48 00:02:51,119 –> 00:02:52,320 Now that’s where we’ve got to 49 00:02:52,320 –> 00:02:55,039 in this remarkable chapter of the Bible. 50 00:02:55,039 –> 00:02:56,919 We’ve looked at the beginning 51 00:02:56,919 –> 00:02:59,220 and we’ve looked at the end 52 00:02:59,220 –> 00:03:04,220 of this unexpected crisis that afflicted King Hezekiah. 53 00:03:04,339 –> 00:03:07,740 But what was it like in the middle? 54 00:03:07,740 –> 00:03:10,360 See, we know that God restored him, 55 00:03:11,320 –> 00:03:13,860 but what was it like for Hezekiah 56 00:03:13,880 –> 00:03:18,679 when he was actually going through this unexpected crisis 57 00:03:18,679 –> 00:03:22,940 that brought him to the very point of death? 58 00:03:22,940 –> 00:03:25,860 Well, today we’re going to look together 59 00:03:25,860 –> 00:03:29,259 at the experience of a godly man 60 00:03:29,259 –> 00:03:33,419 as he waits for God’s deliverance. 61 00:03:33,419 –> 00:03:36,440 See, when the crisis first hit, 62 00:03:36,440 –> 00:03:39,360 the initial experience for Hezekiah, 63 00:03:39,360 –> 00:03:42,940 as our experience has been over these last weeks, 64 00:03:42,979 –> 00:03:45,020 was one of shock. 65 00:03:45,020 –> 00:03:48,139 And then at the end of the crisis, 66 00:03:48,139 –> 00:03:51,220 it was one of hope, it was one of great gratitude. 67 00:03:51,220 –> 00:03:53,899 But what was it like in the middle? 68 00:03:53,899 –> 00:03:56,580 Well, I’m suggesting to you from the scriptures today 69 00:03:56,580 –> 00:04:00,360 that the word that sums up Hezekiah’s experience 70 00:04:00,360 –> 00:04:04,800 as he went through this crisis is the word anguish. 71 00:04:04,800 –> 00:04:07,600 That’s what it was like for him. 72 00:04:07,600 –> 00:04:11,419 And again, I think that this speaks very directly 73 00:04:11,479 –> 00:04:13,559 to where we are today. 74 00:04:13,559 –> 00:04:16,239 We’ve come through this shock 75 00:04:16,239 –> 00:04:20,459 of our lives being interrupted. 76 00:04:20,459 –> 00:04:24,559 We’ve affirmed our hope and our faith 77 00:04:24,559 –> 00:04:27,200 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 78 00:04:27,200 –> 00:04:29,079 But right now, I think many of us 79 00:04:29,079 –> 00:04:32,980 are beginning to experience anguish. 80 00:04:32,980 –> 00:04:37,000 And especially as we’re being told 81 00:04:37,040 –> 00:04:39,839 that the anguish is likely to get worse 82 00:04:39,839 –> 00:04:42,059 over these next weeks. 83 00:04:42,059 –> 00:04:43,779 Well, we need to be prepared. 84 00:04:43,779 –> 00:04:48,179 And therefore, God’s word is speaking directly 85 00:04:48,179 –> 00:04:49,959 to where we find ourselves 86 00:04:49,959 –> 00:04:54,200 in the middle of this crisis today. 87 00:04:55,040 –> 00:04:59,920 So, please have your Bible open at Isaiah chapter 38. 88 00:04:59,920 –> 00:05:01,820 And we begin at verse nine, 89 00:05:01,820 –> 00:05:05,880 where we read a writing of Hezekiah, the King of Judah, 90 00:05:05,880 –> 00:05:10,880 after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness. 91 00:05:12,299 –> 00:05:15,380 And so, these verses that we’re looking at today 92 00:05:15,380 –> 00:05:19,899 were written by Hezekiah as a reflection on his experience. 93 00:05:19,899 –> 00:05:22,200 After he had recovered, 94 00:05:22,200 –> 00:05:24,059 he wrote down as it were, 95 00:05:24,059 –> 00:05:29,059 the inside story of his experience. 96 00:05:29,579 –> 00:05:32,839 He tells us what he felt. 97 00:05:32,839 –> 00:05:36,760 He tells us what he feared. 98 00:05:36,760 –> 00:05:39,600 And we’re going to focus in on these things 99 00:05:39,600 –> 00:05:43,619 that speak directly to us today. 100 00:05:43,619 –> 00:05:46,420 Now notice that he felt three things 101 00:05:46,420 –> 00:05:49,299 during this unexpected crisis. 102 00:05:49,299 –> 00:05:53,480 First, he felt fragile. 103 00:05:53,480 –> 00:05:54,980 Verse 12. 104 00:05:54,980 –> 00:05:59,920 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me 105 00:05:59,920 –> 00:06:03,540 like a shepherd’s tent. 106 00:06:03,540 –> 00:06:05,959 Now remember, this man is a king. 107 00:06:05,959 –> 00:06:07,559 He has power. 108 00:06:07,559 –> 00:06:09,380 He has wealth. 109 00:06:09,380 –> 00:06:11,200 He has plans. 110 00:06:11,200 –> 00:06:14,480 He lives in a palace. 111 00:06:14,480 –> 00:06:18,480 But when this unexpected crisis comes, 112 00:06:18,480 –> 00:06:22,380 he suddenly feels his own fragility. 113 00:06:23,299 –> 00:06:24,799 He lives in a palace, 114 00:06:24,799 –> 00:06:29,299 but his own body, he sees, is like a tent. 115 00:06:29,339 –> 00:06:31,019 It’s a fragile structure. 116 00:06:31,019 –> 00:06:35,019 It’s ropes, it’s canvas, and it’s easily taken down. 117 00:06:36,299 –> 00:06:39,100 Now this crisis is surely reminding 118 00:06:39,100 –> 00:06:41,220 each and every one of us 119 00:06:41,220 –> 00:06:44,540 that our lives are very fragile. 120 00:06:45,660 –> 00:06:48,380 In fact our whole world is fragile. 121 00:06:49,579 –> 00:06:52,679 Everything that this world lives for 122 00:06:53,700 –> 00:06:57,600 has been put on hold by a tiny virus. 123 00:06:58,559 –> 00:07:02,779 That’s how fragile this world in which we live is. 124 00:07:03,940 –> 00:07:05,440 Now I want to ask this question. 125 00:07:05,440 –> 00:07:07,540 Are you feeling fragile today? 126 00:07:09,079 –> 00:07:14,079 Well the feeling of our own fragility, 127 00:07:14,619 –> 00:07:17,859 it’s part of the anguish 128 00:07:17,859 –> 00:07:21,059 that comes with an unexpected crisis. 129 00:07:22,399 –> 00:07:25,619 And then Hezekiah tells us the second thing that he felt. 130 00:07:25,640 –> 00:07:26,679 And again, it’s something 131 00:07:26,679 –> 00:07:29,500 that I think many of us are experiencing today. 132 00:07:29,500 –> 00:07:31,440 He felt anxious. 133 00:07:31,440 –> 00:07:32,779 Verse 13. 134 00:07:32,779 –> 00:07:37,519 I calmed myself until morning. 135 00:07:37,519 –> 00:07:39,660 Now I take this to mean 136 00:07:39,660 –> 00:07:42,660 that the king spent the whole night 137 00:07:42,660 –> 00:07:45,380 trying to calm himself down. 138 00:07:45,380 –> 00:07:49,839 Anxiety is always worst during the night. 139 00:07:49,839 –> 00:07:51,640 And it gripped him 140 00:07:51,880 –> 00:07:55,079 and it persisted through the entire night 141 00:07:55,079 –> 00:07:56,059 until morning. 142 00:07:56,059 –> 00:07:58,420 I calmed myself until morning. 143 00:07:58,420 –> 00:08:02,640 I found that my mind was racing. 144 00:08:02,640 –> 00:08:07,239 I found that I couldn’t achieve a sense of peace. 145 00:08:07,239 –> 00:08:09,239 Anxiety was gripping me. 146 00:08:09,239 –> 00:08:11,859 Here’s a godly man and he’s in his bed 147 00:08:11,859 –> 00:08:14,339 but he can’t sleep. 148 00:08:14,339 –> 00:08:17,559 And the hours are creeping past 149 00:08:17,579 –> 00:08:21,359 and his mind simply will not rest. 150 00:08:22,320 –> 00:08:25,420 Now we’ll look at why he was so anxious 151 00:08:25,420 –> 00:08:26,799 just a little later. 152 00:08:26,799 –> 00:08:29,160 But for now, I want you simply to notice 153 00:08:29,160 –> 00:08:34,159 that anxiety was the experience of this godly King. 154 00:08:35,059 –> 00:08:37,080 This man walked with God. 155 00:08:37,080 –> 00:08:38,960 Remember that we read of him 156 00:08:38,960 –> 00:08:41,299 that there was no King as great as he 157 00:08:41,299 –> 00:08:43,419 no King who was more pleasing to God 158 00:08:43,419 –> 00:08:46,119 in the entire era in which he lived. 159 00:08:47,700 –> 00:08:50,059 And even this man who walked with God 160 00:08:50,059 –> 00:08:52,400 knew what it was to be anxious. 161 00:08:53,739 –> 00:08:55,280 You feeling anxious today? 162 00:08:56,219 –> 00:09:01,219 Well, anxiety is part of the anguish 163 00:09:01,820 –> 00:09:05,640 that comes with an unexpected crisis. 164 00:09:07,039 –> 00:09:09,440 And then he tells us very honestly 165 00:09:09,440 –> 00:09:12,520 a third thing that he experienced, 166 00:09:12,520 –> 00:09:14,080 and that was that he was weary. 167 00:09:14,159 –> 00:09:19,159 Verse 14, my eyes are weary with looking upward. 168 00:09:22,099 –> 00:09:25,840 No, again anyone who has been seriously ill 169 00:09:25,840 –> 00:09:29,580 knows that sickness is exhausting. 170 00:09:30,700 –> 00:09:34,080 But I want you to notice why he was weary. 171 00:09:35,140 –> 00:09:40,140 He says my eyes are weary with looking upward. 172 00:09:40,380 –> 00:09:41,799 Now that could mean of course 173 00:09:41,840 –> 00:09:44,299 that he was simply tired of lying on his bed 174 00:09:44,299 –> 00:09:45,659 and looking at the ceiling, 175 00:09:45,659 –> 00:09:47,260 but I think that there’s something more 176 00:09:47,260 –> 00:09:50,900 that he’s telling us in these words here. 177 00:09:50,900 –> 00:09:53,140 I assume that the King had been sick 178 00:09:53,140 –> 00:09:58,140 for some time before Isaiah came on that dramatic day 179 00:09:58,340 –> 00:10:01,919 and told him to set his house in order. 180 00:10:01,919 –> 00:10:04,359 And no doubt during the time that he had been ill, 181 00:10:04,359 –> 00:10:06,500 the King was calling upon the Lord 182 00:10:06,500 –> 00:10:10,039 and he was waiting for an answer and he’s tired waiting. 183 00:10:11,039 –> 00:10:12,280 And maybe there’s a prayer 184 00:10:12,280 –> 00:10:15,460 that you have been bringing to God for many years, 185 00:10:15,460 –> 00:10:17,700 something that’s the desire of your heart 186 00:10:17,700 –> 00:10:21,260 and you long for an answer and you’re tired waiting 187 00:10:21,260 –> 00:10:22,099 and you could say, 188 00:10:22,099 –> 00:10:26,840 my eyes are weary with looking upward. 189 00:10:26,840 –> 00:10:29,659 How long, O Lord. 190 00:10:30,960 –> 00:10:33,760 Are you feeling weary today? 191 00:10:34,799 –> 00:10:39,799 Well, again, being weary it’s part of the anguish 192 00:10:41,000 –> 00:10:45,840 that comes with an unexpected crisis. 193 00:10:48,200 –> 00:10:50,200 If we were all together today 194 00:10:50,200 –> 00:10:52,619 and how I wish we could all be together today, 195 00:10:53,780 –> 00:10:55,659 but if we were all here together today, 196 00:10:55,659 –> 00:10:58,119 I’d just ask for a show of hands right now, 197 00:10:58,119 –> 00:11:02,900 I’d say, is there anyone in the congregation of the orchard 198 00:11:02,900 –> 00:11:07,840 who is feeling a sense of being fragile 199 00:11:07,919 –> 00:11:11,080 or anxious or weary? 200 00:11:11,080 –> 00:11:12,640 I can’t do that right now, 201 00:11:12,640 –> 00:11:16,280 but I am absolutely convinced 202 00:11:16,280 –> 00:11:19,419 that what Hezekiah describes right here 203 00:11:20,679 –> 00:11:24,140 is getting at what we are feeling here 204 00:11:24,140 –> 00:11:27,380 and now today exactly. 205 00:11:29,479 –> 00:11:31,239 Maybe you’ve thought to yourself, 206 00:11:31,239 –> 00:11:32,520 well now wait a minute, 207 00:11:33,739 –> 00:11:34,820 I’m a Christian 208 00:11:35,780 –> 00:11:39,320 and I shouldn’t be feeling fragile 209 00:11:39,320 –> 00:11:40,719 or anxious 210 00:11:40,719 –> 00:11:41,559 or weary. 211 00:11:42,840 –> 00:11:45,039 And I’m saying to you 212 00:11:45,039 –> 00:11:48,640 that the Bible records of this godly king, 213 00:11:48,640 –> 00:11:50,419 none better before Him 214 00:11:50,419 –> 00:11:52,659 and none like Him after 215 00:11:52,659 –> 00:11:54,320 the Bible says. 216 00:11:54,320 –> 00:11:56,479 The Bible records of this man 217 00:11:56,479 –> 00:11:58,119 who walked with God 218 00:11:58,119 –> 00:12:00,679 that when an unexpected crisis came 219 00:12:00,679 –> 00:12:03,119 he felt fragile. 220 00:12:03,119 –> 00:12:04,580 He was anxious. 221 00:12:05,500 –> 00:12:06,979 And he got weary. 222 00:12:07,859 –> 00:12:10,840 And if it was like that for Hezekiah, 223 00:12:12,340 –> 00:12:15,080 don’t be surprised if it’s like that 224 00:12:16,299 –> 00:12:18,020 for you. 225 00:12:18,020 –> 00:12:19,599 This is not a failure 226 00:12:19,599 –> 00:12:20,940 of your faith. 227 00:12:21,820 –> 00:12:24,539 It is simply the reality 228 00:12:24,539 –> 00:12:25,919 of our humanity. 229 00:12:27,140 –> 00:12:29,299 That’s what he felt. 230 00:12:30,659 –> 00:12:32,820 Now secondly, he tells us, 231 00:12:32,820 –> 00:12:34,380 and this is very significant 232 00:12:34,520 –> 00:12:36,500 what he feared. 233 00:12:36,500 –> 00:12:38,500 And again there are three things 234 00:12:38,500 –> 00:12:41,219 that this godly king feared 235 00:12:41,219 –> 00:12:44,539 when he came to the unexpected crisis. 236 00:12:44,539 –> 00:12:47,059 And the first was that he feared 237 00:12:47,059 –> 00:12:49,500 separation from loved ones. 238 00:12:49,500 –> 00:12:50,780 Verse 11, 239 00:12:50,780 –> 00:12:52,059 I said, 240 00:12:52,059 –> 00:12:54,320 I shall not see the Lord, 241 00:12:54,320 –> 00:12:57,559 the Lord in the land of the living. 242 00:12:57,559 –> 00:13:01,179 I shall look on man no more 243 00:13:01,200 –> 00:13:05,119 among the inhabitants of the world. 244 00:13:05,119 –> 00:13:07,940 Now notice carefully what he says. 245 00:13:07,940 –> 00:13:08,780 He says, 246 00:13:08,780 –> 00:13:13,479 I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living. 247 00:13:13,479 –> 00:13:18,039 Now Hezekiah knows that he will see the Lord 248 00:13:18,039 –> 00:13:20,460 in the world that is to come. 249 00:13:20,460 –> 00:13:24,500 His point is that he will no longer see the Lord 250 00:13:24,500 –> 00:13:26,659 as he has done in the past 251 00:13:26,659 –> 00:13:28,380 when he’s gone up to the temple 252 00:13:28,500 –> 00:13:32,299 to worship with all of God’s people gathered together. 253 00:13:32,299 –> 00:13:35,059 See, when we worship, 254 00:13:35,059 –> 00:13:39,140 we behold the beauty of the Lord. 255 00:13:39,140 –> 00:13:40,840 The Psalms say this quite clearly, 256 00:13:40,840 –> 00:13:42,719 Psalm 63 in verse two, 257 00:13:42,719 –> 00:13:43,559 David says, 258 00:13:43,559 –> 00:13:47,599 I have looked upon you in the sanctuary 259 00:13:47,599 –> 00:13:51,020 beholding your power and your glory. 260 00:13:51,020 –> 00:13:52,299 So when we worship 261 00:13:52,299 –> 00:13:55,479 we anticipate by faith 262 00:13:55,820 –> 00:14:00,320 what one day we will enjoy by sight 263 00:14:00,320 –> 00:14:05,320 beholding the very face of almighty God. 264 00:14:06,700 –> 00:14:08,820 And that’s why Hezekiah could say 265 00:14:08,820 –> 00:14:11,640 with all who were godly in the Old Testament 266 00:14:11,640 –> 00:14:13,520 and all who are godly today. 267 00:14:13,520 –> 00:14:17,299 I was glad when they said to me 268 00:14:17,299 –> 00:14:20,380 let us go up to the house of the Lord. 269 00:14:20,380 –> 00:14:21,520 This King was godly, 270 00:14:21,520 –> 00:14:25,179 he loved gathering with God’s own people. 271 00:14:25,179 –> 00:14:30,179 He loved beholding the face of God by faith in worship. 272 00:14:31,159 –> 00:14:34,599 And the thought that he would no longer be able to do that, 273 00:14:34,599 –> 00:14:37,919 no longer able to worship with the people of God, 274 00:14:37,919 –> 00:14:39,960 that was hard for him to bear. 275 00:14:39,960 –> 00:14:41,380 If my days are done 276 00:14:41,380 –> 00:14:44,380 I will no longer be able to go to the temple. 277 00:14:45,400 –> 00:14:48,460 I shall look on man no more 278 00:14:49,440 –> 00:14:53,200 among the inhabitants of the world. 279 00:14:53,880 –> 00:14:58,880 Now, that speaks so directly to where we are today. 280 00:14:59,479 –> 00:15:02,619 We miss seeing each other. 281 00:15:03,760 –> 00:15:06,140 We miss being together. 282 00:15:07,599 –> 00:15:11,400 But remember that here Hezekiah is not dealing 283 00:15:11,400 –> 00:15:15,020 with the inconvenience of a temporary shutdown. 284 00:15:16,159 –> 00:15:19,679 He’s at the point of death 285 00:15:20,640 –> 00:15:25,780 and he fears leaving his loved ones. 286 00:15:27,159 –> 00:15:32,159 It’s too soon and just not ready to say goodbye 287 00:15:32,200 –> 00:15:34,099 to the people that I love. 288 00:15:36,039 –> 00:15:40,039 Now remember that Hezekiah is a godly man. 289 00:15:40,039 –> 00:15:44,840 Ahead of him is an eternal and joyful life. 290 00:15:44,840 –> 00:15:48,700 But it’s still really hard to say goodbye. 291 00:15:50,559 –> 00:15:51,820 You know, in the New Testament, 292 00:15:51,820 –> 00:15:55,640 Paul speaks about a man called Epaphroditus, 293 00:15:55,640 –> 00:16:00,340 who was a dearly loved friend of the apostle Paul. 294 00:16:00,340 –> 00:16:02,799 And the apostle says this about him. 295 00:16:02,799 –> 00:16:07,640 He was ill, he was near to death. 296 00:16:08,500 –> 00:16:12,760 But God had mercy on him. 297 00:16:12,760 –> 00:16:14,280 And not only on him, 298 00:16:14,280 –> 00:16:19,280 but on me also lest I should have sorrow upon me. 299 00:16:20,039 –> 00:16:21,020 Upon sorrow. 300 00:16:22,640 –> 00:16:23,880 And that’s love speaking. 301 00:16:25,500 –> 00:16:27,039 The apostle Paul doesn’t say, 302 00:16:27,039 –> 00:16:32,039 well, if Epaphroditus dies, he goes to heaven. 303 00:16:32,599 –> 00:16:37,500 No, he says to lose him for me would be sorrow upon sorrow. 304 00:16:39,880 –> 00:16:42,739 I could hardly bear the thought of being without him. 305 00:16:43,919 –> 00:16:46,960 And you see, that’s what Hezekiah feared. 306 00:16:46,960 –> 00:16:49,419 I shall look on man no more. 307 00:16:49,419 –> 00:16:53,580 I’m not ready to say goodbye to the people I love. 308 00:16:55,659 –> 00:16:59,700 And some of you know this anguish. 309 00:17:01,500 –> 00:17:05,380 The Lord has taken home someone who you love 310 00:17:06,739 –> 00:17:08,500 and you miss them. 311 00:17:10,099 –> 00:17:13,180 And you miss them all the more intently 312 00:17:14,099 –> 00:17:17,020 in these strange days of isolation 313 00:17:18,140 –> 00:17:19,959 in which we find ourselves. 314 00:17:22,520 –> 00:17:24,579 Value your loved ones. 315 00:17:26,199 –> 00:17:30,900 Love those God has given to you now really well. 316 00:17:32,219 –> 00:17:34,400 Don’t take them for granted. 317 00:17:35,719 –> 00:17:39,040 A day will come when you will no longer be with them 318 00:17:39,040 –> 00:17:41,300 or they will no longer be with you. 319 00:17:41,959 –> 00:17:44,099 Love them well. 320 00:17:44,099 –> 00:17:48,780 And cherish the gifts of God in your life. 321 00:17:50,780 –> 00:17:54,500 Now we’re looking at what this king feared 322 00:17:54,500 –> 00:17:58,500 when he came to the unexpected crisis. 323 00:17:58,500 –> 00:18:02,319 He feared being separated from the people that he loved. 324 00:18:03,420 –> 00:18:06,119 And then as he thought about his own life, 325 00:18:07,020 –> 00:18:08,900 he feared being cut off. 326 00:18:08,900 –> 00:18:10,900 Look at verse 10 and then verse 12 327 00:18:11,800 –> 00:18:14,400 I said, so he’s now reflecting 328 00:18:14,400 –> 00:18:17,239 on his experience and his fears 329 00:18:17,239 –> 00:18:18,939 right in the middle of the crisis, 330 00:18:18,939 –> 00:18:21,239 when I was going through it, I said, 331 00:18:21,239 –> 00:18:25,239 in the middle of my days, I must depart. 332 00:18:26,140 –> 00:18:31,140 Then verse 12, like a weaver, I have rolled up my life. 333 00:18:32,479 –> 00:18:37,140 He that is God cuts me off from the loom. 334 00:18:37,140 –> 00:18:40,040 From day to night you bring me. 335 00:18:41,180 –> 00:18:42,199 To an end. 336 00:18:43,439 –> 00:18:45,180 Now here, he’s using this picture. 337 00:18:45,180 –> 00:18:47,099 He’s talked about his own body 338 00:18:47,099 –> 00:18:50,000 as being like a tent, the fragile structure. 339 00:18:50,000 –> 00:18:52,319 Now he speaks about his whole life 340 00:18:52,319 –> 00:18:57,319 as being like fabric, being woven on a weaver’s loom. 341 00:18:58,540 –> 00:19:01,380 The threads of your life, think about this, 342 00:19:01,380 –> 00:19:06,280 are woven together by Almighty God. 343 00:19:06,280 –> 00:19:09,719 Some of these threads are of a bright color. 344 00:19:09,719 –> 00:19:12,760 Some of them are of darker colors. 345 00:19:12,760 –> 00:19:16,020 But together, God weaves all the experiences 346 00:19:16,020 –> 00:19:18,420 of all the days of your life together 347 00:19:18,420 –> 00:19:22,739 into this fabric, this cloth, that is your life, 348 00:19:22,739 –> 00:19:25,739 and there it is being woven on the loom. 349 00:19:26,780 –> 00:19:31,780 But then one day, the weaver comes 350 00:19:32,160 –> 00:19:36,260 and he cuts the fabric off the loom. 351 00:19:36,260 –> 00:19:37,099 That’s it. 352 00:19:37,739 –> 00:19:39,160 It’s done. 353 00:19:40,300 –> 00:19:43,359 He cuts me off from the loom. 354 00:19:44,560 –> 00:19:47,099 Your life on earth is over. 355 00:19:47,099 –> 00:19:50,859 Nothing more is going to be added. 356 00:19:52,280 –> 00:19:55,300 And that is what Hezekiah fears. 357 00:19:56,180 –> 00:19:58,380 And it’s all happened so quickly. 358 00:19:58,380 –> 00:20:01,260 Notice he says here from day to night 359 00:20:01,260 –> 00:20:03,160 you bring me to an end. 360 00:20:04,060 –> 00:20:06,119 An unexpected crisis has brought 361 00:20:06,119 –> 00:20:08,920 this man’s life to a grinding halt. 362 00:20:09,839 –> 00:20:11,660 Hezekiah became sick 363 00:20:12,579 –> 00:20:16,000 and suddenly everything is changed. 364 00:20:17,060 –> 00:20:19,739 And he’s not even an old man. 365 00:20:19,739 –> 00:20:23,180 Verse 10, in the middle of my days, 366 00:20:23,180 –> 00:20:25,339 he’s only in mid-life. 367 00:20:25,339 –> 00:20:26,640 In the middle of my days, 368 00:20:26,640 –> 00:20:28,780 he cuts me off from the loom. 369 00:20:28,780 –> 00:20:32,239 See Hezekiah had assumed as we tend all to assume 370 00:20:32,280 –> 00:20:35,239 that he would live a long, long life. 371 00:20:37,119 –> 00:20:39,560 And now he finds he has no more years 372 00:20:41,479 –> 00:20:44,280 and he is in anguish. 373 00:20:45,579 –> 00:20:48,260 So many things that I wanted to do 374 00:20:49,319 –> 00:20:50,579 and now I’m out of time. 375 00:20:50,579 –> 00:20:55,239 So many good intentions and none of them now will get done. 376 00:20:57,239 –> 00:21:01,560 Friend, let’s take this to our hearts from the Bible today. 377 00:21:01,560 –> 00:21:06,560 You do not have forever to do what God calls you to do. 378 00:21:07,400 –> 00:21:09,239 Seize the day, 379 00:21:10,520 –> 00:21:14,800 make the most of every opportunity that you have. 380 00:21:14,800 –> 00:21:18,140 Redeem the time for it is short. 381 00:21:19,560 –> 00:21:23,520 Jesus said, we must work the works of him 382 00:21:23,520 –> 00:21:25,479 who sent me, 383 00:21:25,479 –> 00:21:26,699 while it is day, 384 00:21:26,699 –> 00:21:28,699 because the night is coming 385 00:21:29,000 –> 00:21:33,319 when no one can work. 386 00:21:33,319 –> 00:21:38,020 See, one day your life will be cut off the loom. 387 00:21:40,020 –> 00:21:42,839 You’ll come to a place of knowing that’s it, 388 00:21:43,719 –> 00:21:46,520 I’ve done all that I’m going to do. 389 00:21:47,459 –> 00:21:49,459 My life is now woven 390 00:21:50,880 –> 00:21:55,880 and nothing more will be added to my life in this world. 391 00:21:56,819 –> 00:22:00,920 Now friends nothing is more important for us today 392 00:22:00,920 –> 00:22:05,359 than this, that we use our time in this world 393 00:22:05,359 –> 00:22:07,939 to prepare for the next. 394 00:22:08,920 –> 00:22:13,540 Robert Bruce, the pastor that I quoted from last week 395 00:22:13,540 –> 00:22:18,540 says this, a man must be out of his mind 396 00:22:20,079 –> 00:22:24,040 to invest his future happiness in a place 397 00:22:24,459 –> 00:22:27,400 in a place where he cannot remain 398 00:22:28,579 –> 00:22:30,859 and where he has no idea 399 00:22:30,859 –> 00:22:33,579 when he will be called on to depart. 400 00:22:35,560 –> 00:22:37,680 That’s to be out of your mind, he says. 401 00:22:38,619 –> 00:22:40,680 To invest all your future happiness 402 00:22:40,680 –> 00:22:43,079 in a place where you know you cannot remain 403 00:22:43,079 –> 00:22:44,959 and you have absolutely no idea 404 00:22:44,959 –> 00:22:47,079 of when you will be called to depart. 405 00:22:49,719 –> 00:22:53,520 So use your time in this world 406 00:22:54,939 –> 00:22:59,300 to prepare for your arrival in the next. 407 00:23:01,099 –> 00:23:03,020 What did Hezekiah fear 408 00:23:03,020 –> 00:23:06,160 as he went through this unexpected crisis? 409 00:23:06,160 –> 00:23:09,680 Well, he feared being separated from loved ones. 410 00:23:10,579 –> 00:23:12,660 He feared being cut off. 411 00:23:12,660 –> 00:23:17,479 No more opportunity to add anything further to his life. 412 00:23:19,219 –> 00:23:20,859 And then he feared one more thing 413 00:23:21,160 –> 00:23:26,160 that caused him more anguish than any other, 414 00:23:27,839 –> 00:23:29,739 and it was this. 415 00:23:29,739 –> 00:23:33,839 He feared that God Himself might be against him. 416 00:23:35,099 –> 00:23:36,339 Look at verse 13. 417 00:23:37,359 –> 00:23:41,459 I calmed myself until morning, 418 00:23:41,459 –> 00:23:45,500 and now we’re told the reason why he could find no rest, 419 00:23:45,500 –> 00:23:47,739 why he was struggling through the night 420 00:23:47,739 –> 00:23:49,920 and why through these hours 421 00:23:49,920 –> 00:23:52,119 he just couldn’t settle. 422 00:23:54,079 –> 00:23:59,079 Like a lion, he that is God breaks all my bones. 423 00:24:00,400 –> 00:24:01,560 Now you see what he’s saying? 424 00:24:01,560 –> 00:24:03,199 He’s using this picture. 425 00:24:03,199 –> 00:24:05,839 He’s lying there in bed at night, 426 00:24:05,839 –> 00:24:07,599 and here’s this godly king. 427 00:24:07,599 –> 00:24:12,140 He feels as if he is being mauled by a lion, 428 00:24:14,280 –> 00:24:19,280 and what he fears is that the lion that is mauling him 429 00:24:20,239 –> 00:24:22,459 is actually almighty God. 430 00:24:24,560 –> 00:24:29,319 Like a lion, he breaks all my bones. 431 00:24:31,380 –> 00:24:36,380 Now why in the world would a godly king fear 432 00:24:36,640 –> 00:24:38,479 that God might be against him? 433 00:24:40,160 –> 00:24:42,060 And the answer surely is this, 434 00:24:43,219 –> 00:24:48,219 that a godly man knows that even at his best, 435 00:24:50,199 –> 00:24:52,400 he falls far short of all 436 00:24:52,400 –> 00:24:56,119 that God has called him to be and to do. 437 00:24:58,560 –> 00:25:01,339 Now friends, I am so thankful 438 00:25:02,420 –> 00:25:06,199 for the sheer honesty of these verses. 439 00:25:06,199 –> 00:25:09,520 Aren’t you thankful that the Bible speaks to reality? 440 00:25:09,520 –> 00:25:11,640 There’s real honesty here. 441 00:25:11,640 –> 00:25:14,359 Hezekiah doesn’t come out of the crisis saying, 442 00:25:14,359 –> 00:25:16,719 oh, well, I got to the point of death and I prayed 443 00:25:16,719 –> 00:25:19,619 and God wonderfully healed me and isn’t it all marvelous? 444 00:25:19,619 –> 00:25:21,719 No, he tells us the inside story. 445 00:25:21,719 –> 00:25:24,839 He tells us what it was really like 446 00:25:24,839 –> 00:25:29,839 to plow through the anguish of this unexpected crisis. 447 00:25:31,800 –> 00:25:34,979 He tells us I felt fragile. 448 00:25:34,979 –> 00:25:38,939 I was anxious and I was weary 449 00:25:38,939 –> 00:25:42,500 and I feared being separated from the people that I loved. 450 00:25:42,500 –> 00:25:45,000 I feared that my life was gonna be cut off 451 00:25:45,000 –> 00:25:46,880 and nothing more would be added 452 00:25:46,880 –> 00:25:48,780 and I feared most of all 453 00:25:48,780 –> 00:25:50,420 as I looked at my own life, 454 00:25:50,420 –> 00:25:55,060 I feared that it might be God Himself who was against me. 455 00:25:58,660 –> 00:26:03,099 Now friends, this is teaching us something 456 00:26:03,099 –> 00:26:07,660 that is supremely important for us to grasp today 457 00:26:07,660 –> 00:26:09,060 and it’s this, 458 00:26:09,060 –> 00:26:13,140 Christians experience anguish. 459 00:26:14,140 –> 00:26:19,140 Christians experience anguish. 460 00:26:20,339 –> 00:26:24,300 Hezekiah, the most godly king, 461 00:26:24,300 –> 00:26:27,900 knows what it is to feel fragile, 462 00:26:27,900 –> 00:26:32,219 to feel anxious and to feel weary. 463 00:26:32,219 –> 00:26:37,180 A man who walked with God knew what it was 464 00:26:37,180 –> 00:26:40,939 to fear being separated from loved ones, 465 00:26:41,500 –> 00:26:43,560 to contemplate the awful thought 466 00:26:43,560 –> 00:26:46,439 that his life early was being cut off 467 00:26:48,239 –> 00:26:53,239 and to fear that God Himself might even be against him. 468 00:26:55,640 –> 00:26:57,400 This was the experience of a man 469 00:26:57,400 –> 00:26:59,459 who walked with God in the Old Testament 470 00:26:59,459 –> 00:27:02,660 and you find the same in the New Testament too, 471 00:27:02,660 –> 00:27:05,400 for example, the apostle Paul says, 472 00:27:05,400 –> 00:27:07,800 when we came into Macedonia, 473 00:27:07,800 –> 00:27:10,260 our bodies had no rest. 474 00:27:11,160 –> 00:27:13,239 We were afflicted at every turn, 475 00:27:13,239 –> 00:27:17,959 fighting without, and fear within. 476 00:27:17,959 –> 00:27:21,260 Now, if the apostle Paul knew what it was 477 00:27:22,359 –> 00:27:25,239 to find no rest for his body, 478 00:27:25,239 –> 00:27:27,040 just couldn’t settle, 479 00:27:27,040 –> 00:27:30,239 he couldn’t establish peace within his own heart 480 00:27:30,239 –> 00:27:32,239 and in his own mind, he struggled, 481 00:27:32,239 –> 00:27:34,599 he found fears rising up within him. 482 00:27:34,599 –> 00:27:36,400 Well, you’re going to know that battle too 483 00:27:36,400 –> 00:27:37,500 and so am I. 484 00:27:38,500 –> 00:27:43,500 And even the Son of God Himself says, 485 00:27:45,380 –> 00:27:47,920 John chapter 12 in verse 27, 486 00:27:47,920 –> 00:27:52,180 now my soul is troubled. 487 00:27:54,239 –> 00:27:57,319 At the last supper, when He is with His disciples, 488 00:27:57,319 –> 00:28:01,839 Jesus, John records, was troubled in His spirit. 489 00:28:02,739 –> 00:28:07,359 And when He goes into the Garden of Gethsemane, 490 00:28:07,359 –> 00:28:12,099 He says my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. 491 00:28:14,000 –> 00:28:16,000 Now if that’s what you’re feeling today, 492 00:28:17,119 –> 00:28:20,819 your Lord Jesus Christ has been there. 493 00:28:21,760 –> 00:28:25,800 And if the Holy Son of God knew what it was 494 00:28:25,800 –> 00:28:28,920 for his soul to be overwhelmed with sorrow, 495 00:28:28,920 –> 00:28:31,079 then so will we. 496 00:28:31,079 –> 00:28:35,359 Let’s settle this in our minds and in our hearts 497 00:28:35,359 –> 00:28:37,640 so that we are not taken by surprise. 498 00:28:37,640 –> 00:28:42,640 The Bible makes clear that Christians experience anguish. 499 00:28:45,719 –> 00:28:47,920 Now then, what are we to do? 500 00:28:49,160 –> 00:28:52,680 What are we to do when what Hezekiah experienced 501 00:28:52,680 –> 00:28:55,239 becomes our experience too? 502 00:28:55,239 –> 00:28:57,540 And here’s what I want to give you 503 00:28:57,739 –> 00:29:00,819 as a way of counsel and hope and encouragement 504 00:29:00,819 –> 00:29:04,219 in the middle of this unexpected crisis today. 505 00:29:05,420 –> 00:29:10,420 Let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 506 00:29:12,040 –> 00:29:16,880 Let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 507 00:29:18,500 –> 00:29:23,500 When you fear being separated from loved ones 508 00:29:24,479 –> 00:29:29,479 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 509 00:29:30,099 –> 00:29:31,140 Think about this, 510 00:29:32,020 –> 00:29:35,060 your Lord Jesus knows what it is 511 00:29:35,060 –> 00:29:39,079 to be separated from loved ones. 512 00:29:39,079 –> 00:29:42,699 At the last supper, He said to His disciples, 513 00:29:42,699 –> 00:29:45,300 ”I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine 514 00:29:45,300 –> 00:29:48,239 until the day I drink it anew with you 515 00:29:48,239 –> 00:29:50,099 in my Father’s Kingdom. 516 00:29:50,199 –> 00:29:53,500 And then, the scripture says they sang a hymn 517 00:29:53,500 –> 00:29:55,660 and they went out. 518 00:29:55,660 –> 00:30:00,660 It was the beginning of Jesus being taken from His friends.” 519 00:30:04,579 –> 00:30:08,939 Jesus knows what it is to be separated from loved ones. 520 00:30:10,339 –> 00:30:15,339 No one has ever loved with a more perfect love 521 00:30:15,739 –> 00:30:17,780 than the Lord Jesus Christ. 522 00:30:18,560 –> 00:30:21,959 And with all his heart, 523 00:30:23,140 –> 00:30:28,020 our Lord Jesus would have wanted to care for his mother. 524 00:30:29,180 –> 00:30:32,119 But on the cross, when his life on Earth 525 00:30:32,119 –> 00:30:34,500 is coming to an end, 526 00:30:34,500 –> 00:30:38,739 he has to trust the care of the mother he loves 527 00:30:39,780 –> 00:30:42,020 into the hand of someone else. 528 00:30:43,380 –> 00:30:46,780 He trusts his mother into the hand of John. 529 00:30:46,780 –> 00:30:50,459 He looks at John and says, behold, your mother. 530 00:30:50,459 –> 00:30:54,199 And he looks at his mother and he says, 531 00:30:54,199 –> 00:30:57,520 woman, behold your son. 532 00:30:59,359 –> 00:31:03,060 For many of us in these days, 533 00:31:04,040 –> 00:31:07,319 the greatest distress is not being able 534 00:31:07,319 –> 00:31:09,599 to be with the ones we love. 535 00:31:11,119 –> 00:31:14,140 And Jesus knows what it is 536 00:31:15,000 –> 00:31:17,400 to be separated from loved ones. 537 00:31:18,500 –> 00:31:22,180 When you are separated from your loved ones, 538 00:31:23,140 –> 00:31:28,140 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 539 00:31:30,160 –> 00:31:31,800 And then think about this. 540 00:31:33,599 –> 00:31:38,599 As we are separated from those who we love 541 00:31:38,660 –> 00:31:43,599 and as sometimes we are not able to help others 542 00:31:46,900 –> 00:31:48,880 in the way that we would wish. 543 00:31:50,560 –> 00:31:54,660 I was speaking this week to my friend Johnny Prime 544 00:31:54,660 –> 00:31:58,839 who serves as a pastor to pastors 545 00:31:58,839 –> 00:32:00,599 with the free church denomination 546 00:32:00,599 –> 00:32:04,400 that is the FIEC in England. 547 00:32:04,400 –> 00:32:08,540 Pastors are calling him up and asking for advice. 548 00:32:09,560 –> 00:32:12,900 And I said, so Johnny, what are pastors asking you? 549 00:32:12,900 –> 00:32:15,680 What are the most frequently asked questions? 550 00:32:15,680 –> 00:32:18,680 And he said this, well pastors are saying this, 551 00:32:18,680 –> 00:32:23,680 what are we to do when people who we love and care for 552 00:32:24,160 –> 00:32:25,800 are dying in the hospital 553 00:32:25,800 –> 00:32:28,040 and we can’t even get in there to visit them? 554 00:32:30,060 –> 00:32:31,699 And I said, Johnny what are you telling them 555 00:32:31,699 –> 00:32:32,939 by way of an answer? 556 00:32:34,579 –> 00:32:39,579 And he said this, I’m saying your ministry 557 00:32:41,060 –> 00:32:45,859 is to help people know that the Lord is their shepherd 558 00:32:47,099 –> 00:32:49,140 and that when they go through the valley 559 00:32:49,140 –> 00:32:52,459 of the shadow of death, he will be with them. 560 00:32:53,500 –> 00:32:57,939 Your job is not to have people looking to you. 561 00:32:59,060 –> 00:33:04,060 Your job is to help people look to Jesus Christ. 562 00:33:05,040 –> 00:33:10,040 There is only one person who can ever truly say to you, 563 00:33:11,060 –> 00:33:14,140 I will never leave you. 564 00:33:14,140 –> 00:33:15,560 I will never forsake yu. 565 00:33:16,959 –> 00:33:18,959 And it’s not your husband or your wife, 566 00:33:18,959 –> 00:33:20,119 your father or your mother. 567 00:33:20,119 –> 00:33:22,319 It’s not your son or your daughter or your colleague 568 00:33:22,319 –> 00:33:23,619 or your very best friend. 569 00:33:25,800 –> 00:33:28,219 The only person who can truly say to you, 570 00:33:28,219 –> 00:33:30,060 I will never leave you. 571 00:33:30,060 –> 00:33:34,020 I will never forsake you is the Lord himself. 572 00:33:34,060 –> 00:33:39,020 And if the Lord is your shepherd, you will not want. 573 00:33:40,699 –> 00:33:43,140 Even though you walk through the valley 574 00:33:43,140 –> 00:33:46,619 of the shadow of death, you need fear no evil 575 00:33:46,619 –> 00:33:48,339 for he will be with you. 576 00:33:48,339 –> 00:33:52,239 His rod and staff, they will comfort you. 577 00:33:52,239 –> 00:33:55,420 His goodness and mercy will follow you 578 00:33:55,420 –> 00:33:59,819 and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 579 00:34:00,339 –> 00:34:05,339 When you fear being separated from those you love, 580 00:34:07,780 –> 00:34:12,780 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 581 00:34:15,100 –> 00:34:20,100 And then think about this, when you fear being cut off, 582 00:34:20,800 –> 00:34:25,800 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 583 00:34:26,340 –> 00:34:29,659 Jesus knows what it is to be cut off. 584 00:34:30,679 –> 00:34:35,560 Isaiah tells us of Jesus in Chapter 53 and verse 8, 585 00:34:35,560 –> 00:34:40,000 He was cut off from the land of the living. 586 00:34:40,000 –> 00:34:43,459 And our Lord Jesus died at the age of about 33. 587 00:34:44,419 –> 00:34:47,860 He could say with Hezekiah in verse 10 of our chapter, 588 00:34:47,860 –> 00:34:51,320 in the middle of my days, I must depart. 589 00:34:52,419 –> 00:34:54,540 But here’s the good news that we celebrate 590 00:34:54,540 –> 00:34:57,100 today and every day, 591 00:34:57,120 –> 00:35:01,639 death could not keep hold of our Lord Jesus Christ. 592 00:35:01,639 –> 00:35:04,320 On the third day, he rose from the grave 593 00:35:04,320 –> 00:35:09,139 and now he lives in the power of an endless life. 594 00:35:09,139 –> 00:35:11,679 And for those who trust in him, 595 00:35:11,679 –> 00:35:14,959 death, whenever it comes, 596 00:35:14,959 –> 00:35:17,439 will be a translation 597 00:35:17,439 –> 00:35:21,320 into a new life, in his immediate presence, 598 00:35:21,320 –> 00:35:23,040 that is going to be better 599 00:35:23,500 –> 00:35:26,739 for you brother and sister, by far. 600 00:35:27,600 –> 00:35:29,860 Death, when it comes, 601 00:35:29,860 –> 00:35:32,719 will cut you off from your loved ones 602 00:35:32,719 –> 00:35:34,780 and that is so hard, 603 00:35:36,159 –> 00:35:40,300 but you can know this with assurance 604 00:35:40,300 –> 00:35:43,939 that nothing in life or in death 605 00:35:43,939 –> 00:35:48,939 will ever be able to separate you 606 00:35:48,979 –> 00:35:53,979 from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 607 00:35:55,459 –> 00:35:59,379 So I’m saying today when you fear being cut off, 608 00:35:59,379 –> 00:36:04,379 let your anguish lead you to Jesus, 609 00:36:05,679 –> 00:36:10,419 and then finally when you fear that God may be against you, 610 00:36:10,419 –> 00:36:15,419 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 611 00:36:15,620 –> 00:36:18,520 To fear that God may be against you, 612 00:36:18,520 –> 00:36:22,379 of course, is the worst fear of all. 613 00:36:22,379 –> 00:36:24,580 I mean, if God were to be against me, 614 00:36:24,580 –> 00:36:27,840 what chance could I possibly have? 615 00:36:27,840 –> 00:36:32,840 None whatsoever, and I want to say to anyone today 616 00:36:33,280 –> 00:36:36,239 who is still resisting the claim 617 00:36:36,239 –> 00:36:39,379 of Jesus Christ upon your life, 618 00:36:40,800 –> 00:36:42,199 what are you doing? 619 00:36:43,520 –> 00:36:45,719 What are you thinking about? 620 00:36:45,780 –> 00:36:49,639 You resisting Almighty God, 621 00:36:51,439 –> 00:36:54,540 what chance do you possibly have with that? 622 00:36:56,800 –> 00:36:59,300 Now, listen to the good news of the gospel 623 00:36:59,300 –> 00:37:03,879 because God is ready for you to be reconciled to Him today. 624 00:37:05,040 –> 00:37:09,399 When Jesus suffered and died for us on the cross, 625 00:37:09,399 –> 00:37:12,219 the hand of God was against Him. 626 00:37:13,219 –> 00:37:17,639 When He bore our sins, He was cut off, 627 00:37:17,639 –> 00:37:21,699 even from the comfort of knowing His Father’s love, 628 00:37:21,699 –> 00:37:23,820 that’s why He cried out in a loud voice, 629 00:37:23,820 –> 00:37:28,820 “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ 630 00:37:30,439 –> 00:37:32,100 He was forsaken 631 00:37:33,379 –> 00:37:35,939 so that you my friend could be welcomed, 632 00:37:37,379 –> 00:37:41,679 He was condemned so that you could be forgiven 633 00:37:42,739 –> 00:37:47,020 He was cast out so that you could be brought in 634 00:37:48,060 –> 00:37:51,600 and He died so that you might live 635 00:37:53,340 –> 00:37:57,120 if you fear that God may be against you 636 00:37:57,120 –> 00:38:00,459 let your anguish lead you to Jesus 637 00:38:01,379 –> 00:38:06,379 in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself 638 00:38:07,379 –> 00:38:12,379 God is for us in Jesus Christ 639 00:38:13,860 –> 00:38:17,500 And if God be for us, who can be against us 640 00:38:17,500 –> 00:38:21,899 He did not spare his one and only son 641 00:38:21,899 –> 00:38:24,979 how will he not also along with Him 642 00:38:24,979 –> 00:38:26,939 graciously, give us 643 00:38:27,780 –> 00:38:30,340 all that we need 644 00:38:31,060 –> 00:38:36,739 My pastor, Derek Prime 645 00:38:37,379 –> 00:38:40,459 died in Edinburgh Scotland last week 646 00:38:40,459 –> 00:38:43,459 after having lived a very fool 647 00:38:43,459 –> 00:38:44,979 and remarkable life 648 00:38:46,899 –> 00:38:50,860 He has given to me such a Godly example 649 00:38:50,860 –> 00:38:53,379 and along with many, many others 650 00:38:53,379 –> 00:38:57,659 I am so profoundly thankful to God 651 00:38:57,659 –> 00:38:58,939 for him 652 00:39:00,699 –> 00:39:02,540 and with his going home 653 00:39:02,540 –> 00:39:06,739 the words of his favourite hymn 654 00:39:06,739 –> 00:39:10,500 have been running in my mind 655 00:39:10,500 –> 00:39:12,659 all of this week 656 00:39:12,659 –> 00:39:15,699 and especially because they speak directly 657 00:39:15,699 –> 00:39:19,379 to our experience of anguish 658 00:39:19,379 –> 00:39:20,620 and that’s the reality 659 00:39:20,620 –> 00:39:24,620 in which many of us find ourselves today 660 00:39:24,620 –> 00:39:29,179 how sweet the name of Jesus sounds 661 00:39:29,219 –> 00:39:31,939 in a believer’s ear 662 00:39:31,939 –> 00:39:35,419 it soothes his sorrows 663 00:39:35,419 –> 00:39:38,139 heals his wounds 664 00:39:38,139 –> 00:39:40,939 and drives away 665 00:39:40,939 –> 00:39:42,699 his fear 666 00:39:42,699 –> 00:39:46,860 it makes the wounded spirit whole 667 00:39:46,860 –> 00:39:50,739 and calms the troubled breast 668 00:39:50,739 –> 00:39:52,780 to his manor 669 00:39:52,780 –> 00:39:55,620 to the hungry soul 670 00:39:55,620 –> 00:39:58,260 and to the weary 671 00:39:58,500 –> 00:40:00,780 rest 672 00:40:00,780 –> 00:40:04,020 Do you feel fragile? 673 00:40:04,020 –> 00:40:06,100 Anxious? 674 00:40:06,100 –> 00:40:08,699 Exhausted? 675 00:40:08,699 –> 00:40:11,939 Do you fear being separated from those you love? 676 00:40:11,939 –> 00:40:14,139 Do you fear being cut off? 677 00:40:14,139 –> 00:40:20,580 Have you sometimes feared that God himself might be against you? 678 00:40:20,620 –> 00:40:29,040 Let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 679 00:40:29,040 –> 00:40:31,780 Will you pray with me? 680 00:40:31,780 –> 00:40:34,840 Our Father in heaven, 681 00:40:34,840 –> 00:40:44,419 we pray that the great reality of our lives in this crisis 682 00:40:44,419 –> 00:40:55,100 may be that what we endure leads us closer to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 683 00:40:55,100 –> 00:40:58,419 Thank you for all that he means to us, 684 00:40:58,419 –> 00:41:06,840 and for all that he means to all of his people in every circumstance of life. 685 00:41:06,840 –> 00:41:12,179 Father, as the anguish of these days is very real, 686 00:41:12,179 –> 00:41:19,179 grant that we may cling to our Saviour, and find in him in our own anxiety, 687 00:41:19,179 –> 00:41:24,459 fragility, and in our own weariness, and in our many fears. 688 00:41:24,459 –> 00:41:30,540 May we find in him what we need to face these days. 689 00:41:30,540 –> 00:41:34,080 And then, O Lord, we pray for those who we love and for many others, 690 00:41:34,080 –> 00:41:36,659 who do not yet know him. 691 00:41:36,800 –> 00:41:47,239 That in your mercy, and in your grace, anguish may lead many to Jesus, 692 00:41:47,239 –> 00:41:51,840 and it is in his wonderful name that we pray. 693 00:41:51,840 –> 00:41:53,459 Amen.